Free Four (my version) Insurgent
by 22tobias
Summary: Tobias' reaction to Tris in the Erudite compound in Insurgent


(Insurgent pages 351-357)

The Dauntless Traitors keep their hands on my shoulders. I could break away if I were in my best condition, not-this- condition.

"Where are we going?" I demand, trying to make my voice seem steady. The pain in my head throbbing.

The Dauntless Traitors keep silent as they lead me from my cell down several corridors.

"Where are we going?" I demand once again. Again no one responds. I sigh and let them lead me. One Dauntless traitor with a gun to my back. The man in front of me pushes several buttons and a door slides open. I look in the room and I see her- Tris- held down to the table with restraints and Peter standing right by her.

"What Is this" I say. My voice cracking, I wish it wasn't. I step to go towards her but they grab me before I get very far "Tris, Tris are you okay?"

"Yeah," she says. "Are you?"

"Yeah." I say, I'm such a liar, but I want- no I need to be- strong for her. " I'm fine." I see it in her eyes that she doesn't believe me. I stand taller and she turns her head from me.

"Rather than waste any more time, Mr. Easton. I thought I would take the most logical approach. Truth serum would be preferable, of course, but it would take days to coerce Jack Kang into handing some over, as it is jealously guarded by the Candor, and I would rather not waste a few days." She steps closer to Tris holding a syringe in her hand, the glass reflecting from her glasses as she smiles. What ever it does I can't be good or I wouldn't be here.

"In a few seconds, I will inject Tris with this liquid. At that point I trust, your selfless instincts will take over and you will tell me exactly what I need to know."

I know where she is going with this.

"What does she need to know?" Tris asks.

"Information about the factionless safe houses." I say trying not to look at her.

"Don't give it to her. I'm going to die anyway." My voice squeaks when I say it, "Don't give her anything."

"Remind me, Mr. Easton," Jeanine says. "What do Dauntless simulations do?"

"This isn't a classroom, " I reply through my gritted teeth. "Tell me what you're going to do."

"If you answer this very simple question."

"Fine." I say shifting my eyes towards Tris. "The simulations stimulate the amygdala, which is responsible for processing fear, induce a hallucination based on that fear, and then transmit the data to a computer to be processed and observed." I glance over to Tris and see the wonder in her eyes then I divert my eyes to Jeanine.

"Very good," she says. "When I was developing the Dauntless simulations, years ago, we discovered that certain levels of potency overwhelmed the brain and made it too insensible with terror to invent new surroundings which was when we diluted the solution so that the simulations would be more instructive. But I still remember how to make it."

She taps the syringe with her fingernails and she smiles.

"Fear," she says, "is more powerful than pain. So is there anything you'd like to say, before I inject Ms. Prior?"

Of course there is! But I can't, I can't give away our last hope. I look at Tris' eyes and see the fear hidden in them masked by her bravery. I press my lips together.

Jeanine inserts the needle and the simulation is left pulsing through her veins.

I stare at the heart monitor as the rate of her heart picks up rapidly. I struggle against my Dauntless traitor and he digs his nails into my arms and I wince. Tris mumbles something quietly that I can't hear and then the screaming starts. I writhe against the hands keeping me back, holding he tears in my eyes. But who cares? I start crying and screaming for them to stop. Tris screams louder my face wet with my tears. All I can do is stare like in my fear landscape where I can't do anything but watch. But there is something I can do. I can tell Jeanine about the factionless safe houses. My face is red with anger and hatred toward Jeanine.

"Stop!" I cry once again.

" Is there something you would like to say, ?" Jeanine asks.

I look away from her and then to Tris and back to her. I bite my tongue and nod.

"Sedative." she commands. Another needle in Tris' neck. Tris wakes up and for a few minutes, but I seems to me like years, all she does is sob. I hold back the tears from my eyes. She doesn't know how much it hurt me to watch her scream and cry for all that time the serum was in her body. I'm selfish I know that. She sags against the restraints, her face wet with her tears, when I can stand it no longer I scream, but I try to make it sound like a quiet moan. I glance at the Dauntless traitors hand holding me back from her, the scratch marks and nail indents on my upper arms.

"Let me go," I demand, my voice scratchier than before. I look at Tris and I see the relief in her eyes. " That's the only way I'll tell you, is if you let me go."

Jeanine nods and my Dauntless traitors release me. I would jump to kill her but first I run over to Tris. I brush her hand against mine and grasp them between my two sweaty palms. I entwine our fingers and stroke her hair. There are tears on both my face and hers but neither of us mention them. I wipe the tears from her face.

"The factionless safe houses." I say my gaze never leaving Tris' sight. " Get me a map and I'll mark them. I wrap my fingers around hers and hold them there until my Dauntless traitors pull me away from her. I finally release my hands from hers and give in to the men pulling me from the spot where I want to be. I walk with them and brush past someone I can barely make out from the remainder of tears in my eyes. I wipe them away and seen the figure transform into a person. Caleb.


End file.
